oakes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W. H. OAKES, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

PLATE-PRINTING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,495, dated October 23, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IV. H. OAxns, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Plate-Printing; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a sideelevation of a press constructed and arranged to print according to myinvention. Fig. 2, a back view of the same in elevation. Fig. 3, avertical section of the same, taken in the plane indicated by the lineaz, Fig. 2. Fig. Ll, a detached neath the latter and through properperforations therein, the ink being injected into the plate withsutiicient forceand while the paper, or other substance to receive theimpression, is being pressed upon its face side toleave an impression onthe paper corresponding to the configuration formed by the sunkenportions of the plate, the ink being drawn from the recesses of theplate as soon as an impression has been given, in order to admit of theadjustment of a succeeding sheet and a repetition of the operatlon.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention I face view of the engraved plate to be printed l will proceedto describe it:

from. Fig. 5, a detached face view of the bed-piece on which the plateto be printed from rests. Fig. 6, a detached inverted plan 0f the same.Fig. 7, a detached face view of the block on which the bed rests.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severaliigures.

This invention relates to an improvement in printing from engravedplates, or those which have the design, figure, pattern, or lettering tobe printed sunk in their surfaces and which has hitherto required thepaper or other substance which is to receive the impression to bepressed into the recesses or sunken portions in order to receive theimpression, the recesses or sunken portions being iilled with ink andthe raised portions wiped perfectly clean. This kind of printing,commonly termed copper-plate printing, compared with the operation of atypographical press is very slow and tedious work. In the former processthe plate requires to be covered or smeared over entirely with ink inorder to fill the sunken portions, and the surplus ink must then bewiped off and the surface of the plate left perfectly clean in orderthat the sheet to receive the impression be not soiled. In the latterprocess the design being a raised surface no wiping and but littlemanipulation is required.

The object of the within described invention is to expediate the processof plate printing and4 at the same time perform equally as good work asby the old process. To this end I employ an ink of a fluid nature andinject the same into the recesses or sunken portions of the plate fromunderof the press.

A, represents the framing of a printing press. B, a platen operated by atoggle C, cam D, and springs E, E. These parts constitute an ordinaryplat-en press, are well known and therefore do not require a minutedescription besides other forms of platen presses might be used inprinting according to my invention.

In the framing A, and directly underneath the platen B, there is a fixedblock F, the upper surface of which is grooved as shown at ax, in Fig.7, said grooves all diverging from a common center a, and communicatingat that point with a tube G, which passes out through the side of theblock and communicates with a horizontal pipe I-I. One end of the pipeI-I, is connected to a pipe I, which extends upward and communicateswith an ink reservoir J, and the opposite end of pipe H, communicatesdirectly with another ink reser- Voir K, an ink reservoir being at eachside The pipe H, extends below its connection with the pipe I, andcommunicates with a box L, on which a cylinder of a pump M, is placed,the box L, having a valve opening inward at its junction with pipe I-I.

N, is a pipe the lower end of which communicates with the box L, and theupper end with the ink reservoir J. The lower end of pipe N, has a valveopening upward.

On one end of a shaft O, on the framing on which shaft the cam D, isplaced, there is a crank pulley a, to which the piston rod b, of thepump M, is attached and on the same shaft O, adjoining the pulley a',there is placed a wiper P, which actuates a lever Q, attachedto theframe and whichY lever has a cord c, connected to it, said cord passingaround a pulley d, of a valveV stem, the valve being in pipe I, at itslower end,V

the lower end of cord 0, is attached to a spring e, which spring has atendency to keep the valve in pipe I, closed. i

At the end of the shaft O, the end oppo-f shown in Fig. 2. The slide S,isconnected in any proper way with the stem i, of a valve in the pipe H.Y Y

T, is a tube which forms a direct communication between the tworeservoirs J, K.

U, is a bedon which the plate to be printed from rests. This bed has itsupper surface grooved longitudinally and transversely the groovesintersecting each other and forming sunken passages over nearly theentire surface of the bed U, see Fig. 5. The'under surface of bed U, isgrooved in zig-zag form as shown at j and the bed is perforated withholes k, the perforations extending entirely through the bed andcommunicating withthe grooves j. Ther bed U, is placed on the block F,the grooves j, communicating with the grooves a", in the upper surfacevof the latter.

V, is the plate to be printed from having the design engraved punched orotherwise sunken in its upper surface. A music plate is shown in Fig. 4.This plate is perforated with holes Z, one hole at least being in eachisolated sunken portion of the plate. The

Vplate V, is placed on the bed U, and there is a direct communicationbetween the sunken portions in the plate, the grooves in cam D, toggleC, and springs E, E. Just previous to each descent of the plunger B, asheet of paper or o ther substance or material to receive the impressionis placed on vthe plate V, and as the platen B, descends,

the wiper P, Von shaft O, actuates lever Q, and the cord c, opens thevalve in-pipe I, so that when the platen B, has descended on the sheetwhich was placed on plate V, and

is kept pressed thereon by the actionof the cam the valve in pipe I,.will be open and the ink from reservoir J, will pass down pipe I, andthrough pipes H, and G, into the grooves amy', inthe block F, and bed U,and then pass throughA the perforations Z, into the surface portions ofplate V, and be forced against the sheet on the same with a pressure duetothe weight of reservoir J, above the plate. This pressure(hydrostatic) causes the'impression on the sheet, the configuration ofcourse coinciding with that of the' sunken portions ofr the plate. Thevalve in the pipe I, now closes and the pistonV of the pump M, rises therod b, being drawn up by theV crank pulley a. pump M, draws the ink fromthe recesses in the plate V, and said ink passes into the boxV L,leaving the recesses in plate V, perfectly empty by the time the platenB, has reached its culminating point.V Another sheet is now placed onthe plate V, the printed one being previously removed, and as the platenB, descends the plunger of pump M, also descends and forces theink whichwas drawn into box L, from plate V, at the upward movement of theplunger up through vtube N, into reservoir J. At the commencement of thedownward movement of platen B, the slide S, is actuated and the valvestem z', turned so as to open the valve in pipe H, and allow ink to passinto the tube G, and grooves ax, y', and recesses of plate V, in advanceof the ink from reservoir J, the latter serving only as a means forgiving the pressure.. The employment of reservoir K, is essentialas itinsures a quick operation of the press, saving the time which would beotherwise consumed in the passage of the ink from the reservoir J, afterthe platen B, has descended. The slide S, is operated to close thelvalve in pipe H, as the platen B, commences to rise. The ink reservoirK, is kept supplied from J, by the tube T.

The l From the above description it will be seen that the manipulationof wiping ofi' the plate and the tedious manner of giving the impressionwhich attends the ordinary plate printing process is avoided.

The platen B, may be perforated as shown at am, to allow the escape ofair from between it and the sheet as the latter is pressed down upon theplate V, the air also being allowed to escape from between the sheet andthe plate, the air passing up through the-sheet as the plate is presseddown.

Having thus described my invention, what YI claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Printing from engraved plates by having the sunken portions thereof,which form the design to be printed, charged or filled iwith fluid inkfrom below the plate, the ink being forced up through perforations inthe plate against the paper or substance to reoeive the impression,While said paper or other substance is pressed upon or against theplate.

2. The arrangement of the ink reservoirs J, K, with the pipes I, H,tubes T, Gr, pump M, and grooves ax, y', in the block F, and bed U, inconnection With the perforated plate V, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

W. H. OAKES. Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, J. H. COOKE.

